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EARLY CHINESE

PHOTOGRAPHY

STUDIOS IN

SINGAPORE

SUN YAT SEN NANYANG MEMORIAL HALL

A ctivity Booklet

This exhibition displays many portraits and photographs taken over 100 years ago by early photography studios in Singapore.

Discover more about early photography studios and the people of early Singapore as you walk around the gallery!

Museum Etiquette

Use only pencils to write and draw on the activity booklet

Leave food and drinks outside

Turn off the flash when taking photographs

Speak and walk softly in the galleries

Be gentle with our interactive displays and equipment

Collection of National Museum of Singapore

Chinese

Superstitions

about

Photography

REARRANGE the words to find out more about Chinese superstitions and preferences regarding photography.

When photography was introduced to the Chinese, the Chinese were not open to using the technology due to certain superstitious beliefs.

Early Chinese

studios

would photog

raph

individuals in a

setting

and posture s

imilar to

traditional anc

estral

portraiture.

1. The Chinese believed that a reproduced image of an individual contained part of his or her — — — — (l s u o) and if the image is destroyed the person might — — — (e d i ).

2. Hence, many painted portraits were only made after the person has

— — — — — — — — — — (s a p s d e, w y a a).

3. When taking photographs in the past, the Chinese usually preferred a — — — — — — — — (l u f l, d y b o) shot with the face, ears, hands and feet clearly displayed. They believed that any missing body parts in the photograph will cause the individual to lose them in real life.

Do note that the artefacts

listed may not be displayed in order, so do be prepared

to explore the gallery to find

them!

DID YOU

KNOW?

1ii

Gift of Ronney Tan Koon Siang, National University of Singapore Museum Collection

In the olden days, people recorded their appearance through painted portraits. Such portraits in China mainly featured ancestors who have passed away. They were meant to remind the younger generation to r — — — — — — — and h — — — — — one’s ancestors.

LET’S DRAW!Create a self-portrait or a portrait of someone special to you. What will you include in it to tell more about yourself or the person?

LOOK for this pair of ancestral portraits in the gallery

THINK!What are some of the

things that you and your family do to remember your ancestors today?

DID YOU KNOW?

The way the sitters were dressed and the objects included in a

portrait were specially chosen to tell us more about who they are, as well as their social and

economic status.

LOOK CLOSELY at the pair of portraits on the previous page, do you notice something missing? Find out what the missing object is and try drawing it in the box below.

Before Photography

2 3

Early European Studios in Singapore The first advertisement for photography services in Singapore

appeared in — — — — (year) by French photographer Gaston Dutronquoy, who was also a p — — — — — — — p — — — — — — and a miniaturist.

LOOK for this artefact in the gallery.


Collection of Mr. Loo Say Chong


This photograph was taken by a prominent Scottish photographer, who was one of the first photographers to travel extensively in Asia. His name is found on the back of the card.

What is the photographer’s name?

These distinctive logos on the

portrait represent the royal coats of arms of both

monarchs. Can you guess which coat of arms belonged to

which royal family?

1 2

G. R. Lambert & Co. also indicated on the back of their portraits that they were the official photographer for two monarchs in Southeast Asia. Indicate who they were in the blanks below.

1) K — — — of S — — —

2) S — — — — — of J — — — — —

The individual in this photograph was Hoo Ah Kay, better known as W— — — — — — , and an area near the Memorial Hall is named after him!

DID YOU KNOW?

4 5

LOOK for these two artefacts in the gallery.

SPOT the missing objects in the artefacts above and DRAW them in the boxes below.

Collection of Mr. Kelvin Lee

It was common for early Chinese photography studios in Singapore to advertise themselves as “Photographer, — — — — and Portrait Painters”, since many Chinese photographers were former — — — — and portrait painters who catered to Western clients in the southern ports of Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Early Chinese Photography Studios

Hint: the answer can be found on the back of this artefact

THINK about what you or your friends like to collect today. Why do you find collecting

enjoyable?

Left and right: Collection of Mr. Kelvin Lee

Such small photographs were known as carte de visite (“visiting card” in French). Some people would also collect photographs of exotic lands and prominent individuals.

DID YOU KNOW?

76

Collection of Mr. Loo Say Chong

Courtesy of National Archives

Dark clothes appear (lighter/darker) on the glass negative, while lighter coloured clothes appear (lighter/darker)

This is a glass-plate negative of a group photograph taken by Lee King Yan at an important event. What was the important event?

——————————————

Lee Brothers Studio on H — — — S — — — —t was set up by two brothers — Lee King Yan and Lee Poh Yan. Originally from Guangdong province in China, King Yan and Poh Yan had many relatives who were in the photography business.

Compare the above photograph (located in Gallery 2 of the memorial hall) with the image on the glass-plate negative. LOOK CLOSELY at the clothes they wore and CIRCLE the correct answer.

Lee King Yan and Lee Poh Yan were keen

supporters of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, who later overthrew the Qing government in China in 1911

and set up a Chinese republic.

This photograph was taken in 1905 at Wan Qing Yuan (presently the memorial hall). Can you figure out at which spot this photograph was taken? Try taking a photograph at the same spot!

Hence, the darker and lighter parts of the image on a glass-plate negative are (the same/reversed) from what they are in reality.

A Family Focus: The Lee Family Photographers


DID YOU KNOW?

8 9

As portraits taken by Chin

ese

photography studios were

generally — — — — — — —

than European studios, the

y

attracted more customers

of all — — — — — includ

ing

Europeans.

Capturing Colonial Singapore

LOOK for the following studio portraits in the gallery and MATCH them to their correct identity. FILL in the blanks based on the information given in the captions.

PARSIOriginally from

— — — — — —, the Parsi community migrated to India in the 7th century. They later migrated to Singapore during the mid-19th century in search of better opportunities.

INDIAN MUSLIM AND MALAY Malay men traditionally wear a songkok, a headdress said to have been adapted from the Turkish — — —.

Lee Brothers Studio Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

Gift of Mr. M. Meyyappan, reproduced with permission of Indian Heritage Centre


Reproduced with permission of Singapore Police Force

Reproduced with permission of Mr. Kelvin Lee

EURASIAN The bridal couple later had a son who became the first Asian Commissioner of Police in Singapore. His name was

______________________

CHINESEDo you know on which special occasion this studio portrait was taken? ______________________

CHETTIAR The Chettiars in Singapore were involved in the m — — — — l— — — — — — industry.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

THINK! After examining the artefacts in this exhibition, what words would you used to describe Singapore in the past? Have you learnt something new

today?

DID YOU KNOW?

1110

Decorate this frame with the stamps at the activity corner and paste your photo here!


The Peranakan Association Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore


Can you spot my friends in the

photographs?

Spot the dog!

12

ORGANISED BY A HERITAGE INSTITUTION OF OWNED BY SUPPORTED BY IN SUPPORT OF

sun yat sen nanyang memorial hall€¦ · dutronquoy, who was also a p — — — — — — —...

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